Grain-separator.



PATENTED MAY 12, 1908. G.

- J. L. BLACK & L. KIPPIN GRAIN SEPARATOR. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 24.1007.

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PATENTED MAY 12. 1908. J. L. BLACK 65 L. KIPPING.

GRAIN SEPARATOR. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 24. 1907.

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JOHN L. BLACK AND LEO KIPPING, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI;

SAID BLACK ASSIGNOR TO SAID KIPPING.

GRAIN-SEPARATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 12, 1908.

Application filed June 24, 1907. Serial No. 380,624.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JOHN L. BLACK and LEO KIPPING, both citizens of theUnited States, and residents of St. Louis, Missouri, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Grain-Separators, of which thefollowing is a specification containing a full, clear, and exactdescription, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming apart hereof.

Our invention relates to a grain separator, our object being toconstruct a simple, inexpensive, and eflicient screening or separatingapparatus whereby all foreign matter and substance, such as wild onionsand cheat is thoroughly separated from wheat and the like, thusthoroughly cleaning said wheat and leaving it in a high grade conditionfor milling or market purposes.

To the above purposes, our invention consists in certain novel featuresof construction and arrangement of parts, which will be hereinafter morefully set forth, pointed out in the claims, and illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, in which 2- Figure 1 is a vertical section takenthrough the center of a separator of our improved construction; Fig. 2is a vertical section taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is ahorizontal section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a verticalsection of the blower nozzle made use of in our improved separator; Fig.5 is a plan view of the nozzle; Fig. 6 is an enlarged vertical sectiontaken on the line 66 of Fig. A; Fig. 7 is a transverse section of theupper screen of our improved separator, and illustrating the manner inwhich the grains of wheat ride thereon and pass through.

Referring by numerals to the accompanying drawings :1 designates ahousing, preferably constructed of timber in rectangular form, andarranged in the top of saidhousing, at the right hand end thereof, is avertically disposed chute 2, which receives the unscreened grain; andvertically disposed in said chute is a plate 3 hingedat its upper end,as desi 'nated by 1; and pivotally connected to the ower portion of saidplate is a rod 5, which extends through one of the walls of the chute 2,the outer end of said rod being screw threaded and receiving a wing nut6. liocated on said rod, and interposed between the wing nut and thewall of the chute 2, is an expansive coil spring 7, which arrangementallows the lower end of the plate 3 to yield rearwardly, and thusregulate the discharge of grain through the chute 2, corresponding tothe amount of grain delivered into said chute.

Arranged within the housing 1, a short distance below the top thereof,is a rectangular frame 8, which is inclined, with the highest end.immediately beneath the chute 2; and arranged for rotation on the endtimbers 9 of this frame is a series of pins or keys 10, which carry theends of longitudinally disposed wires 1.1, which "form the upper screenof our improved separator.

Journaled for rotation in the side rails of the frame 8, adjacent theupper or right hand end thereof, is a shaft 12, one end of which extendsthrough the side walls of the housing 1, and fixed on said extended endis a pulley 13. Arranged on this shaft 12 is a sleeve 14 which carries aflexible tab or flange 15, the end of which strikes against the wires11, thus continuously vibrating the same when the shaft 12 is rotated.

Arranged immediately beneath the screen frame 8 and occupying a planeparallel there with is a row of transversely disposed slats 16, the samebeing obli uely positioned so as to deflect the grain am like mattertoward the left hand as it falls from the wires 11 on to said slats.

Fixed to the lower end of the screen frame 8 is a chute 17, in the formof a plate, which leads downwardly and discharges into a receptacle 1S.

Arranged a short distance below the slats 16 is a rectangular frame 19,which is positioned at a greater angle of inclination than is the frame8, and arranged on the end tinibers of this frame 19 are keys 20, whichcarry the ends of longitudinally disposed wires 21, which are arrangedcloser together than are the wires 11 of the upper screen.

Arranged beneath both ends of the frame 8 are plates 22 forming chuteswhich deflect the grain discharging through the end slats onto the wires21.

Leading from a point immediately above the lower end of the screen frame19 is a plate 23, which discharges into the receptacle 1S, and arrangedimmediately above this plate 23 is a curved deflector plate 24.

Arranged immediately beneath the lower end of the screen frame 19 is areceptacle 25, and immediately beneath the lower end of ately beneaththe wires 21; and below the space between the plates 23 and 24. Arrangedwithin this nozzle 30 is a triangular deflector plate 31,which is hingedat its ends, as designated by 32, to the end walls of the deflectorplate 31, and theend walls of said deflector plate terminating in thelower end of the nozzle 30 immediately above the discharge end of theinlet pipe 29. This plate 31 is bent slightly at its center, asdesignated by 33, in order to bring the center of said plate against thefront wall of the discharge nozzle, whereas the ends of said plate lieimmediately adjacent the rear wall of the nozzle. This arrangement ofthe deflector plate provides for a more even distribution or dischargeof the blast of air through the nozzle. Arranged in the pipe 29 is adamper, or valve, 34, by means of which the blast through said pipe isaccurately regulated. The shaft on which the fan 28 is mounted eX tendsthrough one of the side walls of the housing 1, and fixed on saidextended end is a pulley 35 and connecting said pulley with the pulley13 is a belt 36, thus providing means for rotating the shaft 12.

hen our improved separator is in operation, the shaft carrying the fan28 is rotated, and as a result, a blast of air is forced through thepipe 29 and discharges from the mouth of the nozzle 30 and passes fromthence between the wires 21 of the lower screen; and from thence upwardand between the deflector plates 23 and 24. At the same time the shaft14 is rotated, being driven by the belt 36, and the flexible tab orflange 15 engages the wires 11, causing the same to vibratecontinuously.

The grain to be cleaned and separated is delivered in any suitablemanner into the chute 2, and when a sufficient amount has accumulatedtherein, the weight thereof will force the lower end of the plate 3rearward, and a quantity of the grain will discharge onto the upper endof the upper screen. The wires of this screen being continuouslyvibrated cause the grain to gradually move toward the lower end of thescreen, and during this action the particles of dirt, small seeds, andsmaller kernels of grain pass between the wires of the screen, betweenthe slats 16, to the lower screen, and, after passing therethrough, fallonto the plate 27 and pass thereover into the receptacle 26.

The wires 18 are so spaced as that under ordinary conditions the grainsof wheat cannot readily pass between said wires; but as said wiresvibrate and the grains of wheat travel toward the lower end of thescreen, as a result of said vibration, said grains of wheat tend toassume positions with their greatest lengths parallel with the wires 11,as this is the position of least resistance in the travel over thewires.

Each wheat grain is provided with a longitudinally disposed groove, andsooner or later during the travel of the wheat over the screen, thegrains will so adj ust themselves as that the wires of the screen occupythe grooves in said grains; and, when so posi tioned, the grains willturn or fall to one, side or the other, and thus readily pass throughthe spaces between the wires 11. After thus passing through the upperscreen, the grain strikes against the slats 16 and is deflected therebyoutward onto the lower screen, which, being finer than the upper screen,

holds the full sized marketable grain, which in turn discharges over thelower end of the lower screen into the compartment 25.

All straw, leaves, or like material falling onto the lower screen willbe quickly removed by being blown therefrom by the blast of air issuingfrom the nozzle 30, and said like material will pass between the plates23 and 24 and be deposited in the receptacle 18.

The wild onions, cheat, and similar refuse, which are usually larger indiameter than are the grains of wheat, will not pass through the upperscreen, but will be carried thereon and finally discharge at the lowerend thereof and be carried over the plate 17 into the compartment 18.Thus, the refuse, consisting of wild onions, cheat, dust, straw, leaves,and undersized grains, is easily and 'quickly separated from the wheat,the latter after passing through the machine being in prime conditionfor the market or milling purposes.

The tension of the wires of both screens can be accurately regulated bymanipulating the keys or pins 10 and 20, and the degree of vibration ofthe wires 11 of the upper screen being regulated by the amount oftension on said wires.

The deflector plate 31 arranged in the nozzle 30 provides for an evendistribution or blast of air through said nozzle 30, and the damper 34regulates the blast through the pipe 29 to the nozzle 30.

Our improved machine requires practically no attention after being setfor opera tion, and possesses superior advantages in point ofsimplicity, durability, and general efficiency.

6 claim 1. In an apparatus of the class described, a pair of inclinedframes, a series of parallel wires arranged on each frame, adjustingmeans whereby tension is maintained in both sets of wires, means wherebyone of the sets of wires is vibrated, and means whereby a blast of airis delivered between the wires on the lower frame at the lower endthereof.

2. In an apparatus of the class described, a pair of inclined frames, aseries of parallel wires arranged on each frame, adjusting meansarranged on each frame whereby tension is maintained in the wires, andthe wires of the lower frame being closer together than the wires of theupper frame, means whereby the wires of the upper frame are vibrated,and means whereby a blast of air is delivered between the wires of thelower frame adjacent the lower end thereof.

3. In an apparatus of the class described, a pair of rigidly fixedinclined frames, a series of parallel wires arranged on each frame,adjusting means on each frame whereby ten sion is maintained in bothsets of wires, and the wires of the lower'frame being closer togetherthan the wires of the upper frame, and a vibrator arranged for operationat the upper end of the upper frame and adapted to engage the wirescarried on said upper frame.

4t. In an apparatus of the class described, a pair of rigidly fixedinclined frames, a series of parallel wires arranged on each frame,adjusting means on each frame whereby ten sion is maintained in bothsets of wires, and the wires of the lower frame being closer togetherthan the wires of the upper frame, a transversely disposed shaftarranged for operation adjacent one end of the u per frame, and aflexible tab carried by the s raft and adapted to strike the wires ofthe upper frame during the rotation of the shaft.

5. In an apparatus of the class described, a pair of inclined frames,the lower one of which is arranged at a greater inclination than theupper frame, a series of parallel wires arranged on each frame, thewires of the lower frame being closer together than the wires of theupper frame, adjusting means on each frame whereby tension is maintainedin the wires, and means whereby the wires of the upper frame arevibrated.

In testimony whereof, we have signed our names to this specification, inpresence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN IJ. BLACK. LEO KIPPING. Vitnesses:

M. P. SMrrn, (,l. M. lL-minNe'roN.

